Educational device



June 27, 1950 l. P. PEscA'roRl 2,512,837

EDUCATIONAL DEVICE June 27, 1950 L P, PESCATQR; 2,512,837

' EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Filed March 19,' 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ih ,ib

@ESL-fl @www @ mim@ EJ''EEDD' jme/7 Patented June 27, 1950 UNITE-D--STATES PATENT OF FIG-E EDUOAT10NAL..DEVICE ltginoY'P. Pescatori, St.Albans, NJY.

"Application =March- 19, 1946,?Se1a1- N 0;" 655,561

2 Claims. -1

The .present invention relatesbroadly toeducational devicesand is moreparticularlyponcerned 'with a board equipped with visualsignalsoperatedl by simple electro-mechanical -meansyto reflect true answersto. ordinary -questions in multiplication tables.

The-.primary object vofthe invention is toproduce aboard of thecharacterreferred towhic h can befemployedffor educational and amusementpurposes, for children and adults.

Another object of the invention is lto provide a device yof lthevcharacter referred to whichis simply constructed .and assembled invarious sizes for deskV or wall use as -an educational medium and onewhich will hold the :attention .of-.pupils by arousing their interest. A

Afurther object of thevinventionfis to provide a simple educationalboard which can be readily manipulated `by young children.

With the foregoing and other objectsandadvantagesin view the inventionconsists of -the novel f construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed.

`.In the accompanying drawings. illustratingthe preferred embodiment ofthe` invention:

Figure` 1 isa perspective view of-the device.

.FigureZ is a-fragmentary view of` a transparency Awhich-lies betweenthevsignal lamps and orices ofthe'board and has numerals provided thereonin a.y predetermined arrangement.

Figure l3 is Va fragmentary vertical --section throughv the boardshowing one .of the .signal orifices.

Figure 4 is a wiring plan of the board.

Figure 5 is a schematic plan of wiring to illustrate the voperation ofthe boardas appliedto-a certain` question in multiplication.

Like numerals as used .-in the description and drawings, designate thesameparts .of construction.

Theidevice here shown is primarilydesig-ned for desk use and is .of aneasily portable size land weight. Its shape may be as desired .butisillustrated as rectangular. .Larger sizesof. arsemiportable or Xedcharacter may be -provided,.if.de

sired. The devices may bepoweredby anelectric circuit of 110 or morevoltsy connected to Ya wall socket by conventional means. or--maybe-.energized from a suitable storage batterysuchas a conventionaldry cell battery.

The device consists of a board lll and back Il, hinged or otherwiseattached together toform a case. The deviceillustratedis designed to.indicatethe productsvof multiplication of anyI two numbers'from two toytwelve and has aplurality,

of apertures l2 arranged in twelve vertici-alcool-l somewhat `from the.others rand reserved fortwo series of push .buttonswitches I5,each-button bearingan imprinted numeral vfrom 2 tol 12 Athereon. :.Inmultiplication tests -thesetwo rows contain the multipliers .andmultiplicands whileall other. rows :onzthewboard are reserved forrtheproduct numbers Il obtainedhby the pupil operati-ng =a multiplier buttontogetherwith` a vmult-iplica ndbutton.

On-thei-tracing cloth-areprintednumerals pol sitioned to register withthe .fproducts. orifices and beneath same:- arer small flash-light'.bulbs 8 seated fin sockets- I 9- contained in. theoricesA l2. These`visual signals are. powered .by aconnector cord orA batteryas indicatedabove/andthe .circuit is normally open.

The .numerals in the "products columnsware not arranged insequencebutareset up.vin a denite- `pattern related to-.the various push'lbuttoncombinations. The rst products column,

which -is aligned with both buttons'-Inarkede2,`

beginswith the--numera1-4 and progresses-024 with ay differential of- 2.betweenthe numbers and the sameis'true .with regard to the rstrow-across whichrbeginswith andendsf-with 24.

`'Ihefnumerals of lthe succeeding` rows and co1- um-ns #reading .eitherdown or across, increase frome inthe secondsucceed-ingrow and column ,to.12: inv-the last ones, thus.- arriving. at amaXimum product.numberof144 .from either` direction.

f All of the A.push buttons areset in ltemplates andcontrolthevelectr-icrbulb circuits.

The -wiring for the -signal lamps ,f including -the push buttonswitches, is .installed `ron -thewinner wallofthe back Il,and thecircuitmayinclude a ksuitable battery \or, -.a--cord. and Uplugm may :beconnectedftol the circuit.l for. power,- -a's-y indicated yby dotted`lines-at Pin Figure 1.

Referringfto Figure 4,- thes circuit :wiringfis-arranged-as-follows..Aimain wire or bussfZI-fextendssfrom one side ofthe ypowerfsourceBalong the left-hand side .of the .under-surface-.of board I0-fand isl.connected -r-tov one--side-of fall of the push button switches l inthe rst vertical column at the left-hand side of the board. A secondmain wire or buss 22 extends across the top of the board and isconnected to one side of each push button switch in the top row. Thepush button switches may be considered as divided into two groups, theiirst group including the switches in the top horizontal row, and thesecond group, the switches in the first left-hand Vertical column.

A lamp bulb socket i9 is secured in the inner end of each aperture l2 ofboard I0 from the left-hand column and the top row of apertures in whichthe push button switches i6 are mounted, to receive respective lightbulbs I8. Each of the light bulb sockets is connected to one of the mainwires 2l or 22. In the illustrated embodiment each horizontal row ofsockets is connected y to main wire 2| through respective push buttonswitches IB of the left-hand vertical row of switches.

A plurality of bulb contact terminals 2i! are secured to the back Il anddisposed one under each bulb socket I9. These contact terminals Iareconnected to mainwire 22, each vertical row of terminals being connectedto wire 22 through a respective push button switch t6 in the tophorizontal row of push button switches.

Each lamp under a product number is thus connected between two pushbuttons, one representing the multiplicand and the other the multiplier,in series with them and the source of electricity, Ias shown in Figure 5which is typical.

In Figure 5 the question proposed is how much is 12X9 and the answer is108, as determined by pushing down the two buttons 12 and 9, the circuitto obtain which is illustrated in the diagram therefor. When the twobuttons are pushed the bulb under the product number 108 will light,thus visualizing the result. Various questions can thus be answeredcorrectly when the multipliers and multiplicands are stated.

Stated in somewhat different terms, the operative portion -of themultiplication board constitutes a major rectangle, the top side ofwhich comprises the tcp horizontal row of push button switches and theleft-hand side of which comprises the left-hand vertical column of pushbutton switches. The top row ofV switches is consecutively numbered from2 to l2 beginning 'at the left-hand end and the vertical row oi switchesis similarly numbered beginning at the top.` If we now extend atheoretical line vertically downward from one of the top row switchesand a theoretical horizontal line to the right from one of the left-handvertical column switches, these two lines will always intersect andenclose `a rectangular space between themselves and the top andleft-hand side of the major rectangle. The two switches from which thetheoretical lines extend are located at diagonally-opposed corners ofthe enclosed rectangle, namely, the lower lefthand, and theupper-right-hand corner. A signal light is located at thelower-right-hand corner of the rectangle and over this signal light thetransparency carries a number which is the product of the numbers on thetwo push button switches under consideration. Since a conductor extendsvertically from the contact terminal of the signal light to the top rowswitch, a conductor extends horizontally from the bulb socket of thesignal light to the left-hand vertical-column switch and since the toprow switches and vertical column switches are connected to Oppositesides of the power source, the appropriate light at the lower-right-handcorner of the rectangular space subtended by any switch in the verticalcolumn and any switch in the horizontal row, that is, the light locatedat the intersection of the corresponding horizontal row and verticalcolumn, will be lighted and will illuminate a number which is always theproduct of the numbers on the two operated switches.

As different embodiments may be made of this inventive concept andmodifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown anddescribed, it will be understood that the matter herein is to beinterpreted as illustrative merely,

- and not in a limiting sense.

WhatIclaim is: 1. An electrically illuminated multiplication Ytablecomprising a board including a rectangular area and having within saidarea a plurality of apertures arranged in horizontal rows and verticalcolumns; a rst group of push button switches disposed one in eachaperture of a horizontal row of apertures at one side of saidrectangular area, said rst group of push button switches beingconsecutively numbered and co1- lectively connected with one side of a.source of electrical energy; a second group of push button switchesdisposed one in each aperture of a vertical row of apertures at one sideof said rectangular area, said'second group of push button switchesbeing consecutively numbered and collectively connected with theopposite side of said source of electrical energy; a signal light ineach of the remaining apertures in said board, each light comprising alight bulb, a bulb socket and a bulb ccntact terminal; electricalconductors each connecting all of the bulb sockets in a respectivevertical column of signal lights with a respective push button switch ofsaid rst group; other electrical conductors each connecting Iall of thebulb contact terminals of a respective horizontal row of signal lightswith a respective push button switch of said second group, whereby uponoperation of a switch of said rst group and a switch of said secondgroup a signal light at the intersection of the corresponding verticalcolumn and horizontal row will be illuminated; and a transparencycovering the signal light receiving apertures in said board, saidtransparency having thereon numbers illuminated by said signal lights,each of said numbers representing the product of the numbers on theoperated push button switches of the rst and second groups located atthe ends of the verticalcolumn and horizontal row which intersect at thelocation of any signal light.

2. An electrically illuminated multiplication table comprising a boardincluding a rectangular area and having within said area a plurality ofapertures arranged in intersecting horizontal rows and vertical columns,a rst group of push button switches disposed one in each aperture of ahorizontal row rat one side of said rectangular area; a second group ofpush button switches disposed one in each aperture of a vertical columnof aperturesI at one side of said rectangular area, the push buttons ofsaid first group being consecutively numbered andy collectivelyconnected to one side of a source of electrical energy and the pushbutton switches of the second group being consecutively numbered andcollectively connected to the opposite side of said source of electricalenergy; a plurality of signal lights disposed one in each remainingaperture in said board; electrical conductors so connecting said signallights to the push button switches of said REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number l0 Number Name Date Liebman Dec. 20, 1921Peterson Feb. 8, 1927 Mayers Feb. 22, 1927 Van Doren July 6, 1937 WernerApr. 30, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Italy July 26, 1937 GermanySept. 24, 1923 France 1913

